Hometeam Division 3 football: Auburn's success starts up front

Wednesday

Sep 12, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Tom Flanagan Division 3 football

When gathered as a group to talk about what it needed to improve upon from a year ago, Auburn High's highly touted offensive line rattled off answers that haven't changed much since the big guys up front donned leather helmets.

But soon after the rapid-fire listing that included nothing out of the ordinary — footwork, speed, quickness, etc. — the close-knit bunch looked at each other as if waiting for someone to say something, before senior Matt Ramirez admitted there was one more major item on the list of needed improvement.

“We need to be able to bring it on every single play,” said Ramirez, who at 5-foot-10, 260 pounds would be a veritable giant on most local high school teams but is the runt of the litter among his behemoth teammates. “Against Shepherd Hill, we were outhit. They took it to us and they were tougher than us. It was tough to admit but it happened, and (Shepherd Hill) deserves all the credit for pounding us. We were embarrassed.”

The Rams snapped Auburn's much-publicized 41-game winning streak, but the Rockets didn't lose again in 2011 and finished 12-1 and won the Division 3 Super Bowl.

Because its offensive line returned intact from a year ago, Auburn is a heavy favorite to win Division 3 again this year.

The Rockets can match up with any line in the state, with 6-3, 285-pound Aaron Dyke, 6-3 280-pound Steve Domenick, Jordan Giampa (6-2, 310) and Will Greelish (6-3, 330) paving the way.

Throw in Steve St. Jean, a 6-3, 220-pound tight end, and it's tough to envision any team getting the better of the Rockets along the line of scrimmage.

The linemen know, however, that size can take them only so far.

“I think we all need to be sure we're involved right to the whistle,” Giampa said. “When we knock someone to the ground, we can't look down and think we did something. We need to get downfield and hit someone else.”

As a unit, the Rockets worked out at least three days a week during the summer with a huge emphasis on movement.

“We're all enormous and that's great,” Domenick said while trying to stifle a laugh. “But that size doesn't do any good if the kid across the line from you is faster and quicker and blows right by you.”

The Auburn line has no bigger fan than senior quarterback Drew Goodrich, and that appreciation goes both ways.

“Our main job is to make sure nobody touches Drew,” said Dyke, noting that he and his teammates always strive for an offensive line's version of a perfect game — a touchdown on every possession. “We have his back and we know he has ours.”

“There will be times in practice when we screw something up, but Drew tells the coaches it was his fault and takes the blame,” St. Jean said. “If we have to run because we made a mistake, he's right there running with us. He probably knows our assignments better than we do, but he never gets down on us when we make a mistake. He's just like a coach out there in the huddle, explaining to us what we should have done.”

While offensive linemen don't often get a lot of attention, Auburn coach Jeff Cormier knows his big guys aren't fazed.

“All that matters to them is that they know, as a group, they did their job and that their coaches and teammates know they did what they were supposed to do,” Cormier said.

It was just like the good old days for South High last week.

Yes, it's early in the season, but the return of coach Jerry Snay seems to have sparked a program that has struggled mightily the past few years.

South opened its season with a 37-9 victory over Worcester Tech, and used a heavy dose of do-it-all senior star Frank Ansah to do so.

Ansah certainly won't be the only Colonel making explosive plays this year. Seniors Eustas Anderson and Paul Abankwa looked poised to have productive seasons.

Snay has embraced some the challenges that come along with coaching a city team, and has made the most of the situation thus far.

“We still don't practice on a full-size field so that presents some unique challenges, and I think some of the mistakes we made (against Worcester Tech) could be attributed to that, especially when it came to procedure and not being lined up in the right position,” said Snay, whose team already has equaled its win total of last season.

“We're looking for kids who love to play football and are willing to learn, and we have a lot of them on this team.”